I've been reading about the Stoic philosophy for quite some years now. There are many great principles that the Stoics propose to live by in order to improve the quality of our life.

One of my favorite ones is the dichotomy of control. The idea is rather simple: focus on the things you can control and let go of things you can't control. As Epictetus would say:

“Some things are within our power, while others are not. Within our power are opinion, motivation, desire, aversion, and, in a word, whatever is of our own doing; not within our power are our body, our property, reputation, office, and, in a word, whatever is not of our own doing.”  — Epictetus

In other words, the things that are within our control are the things that we can take responsibility for. The things we can impact. The things we can choose to change, as long as we are willing to (put effort into it). Because we have our own agency to change.

And yet, how we choose to respond to the difficult circumstances or situations we have found ourselves in is probably the most challenging thing there is.

What I have learned over the years of trying to follow this principle is to focus on the upside of things: that difficult situations are also the most rewarding opportunities for us to grow. The wonderful occasions to find a deeper meaning in life, no matter how difficult it may seem at times.

It's something that Viktor E. Frankl brought forward in his eye-opening book, Man's Search for Meaning.

“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” — Viktor E. Frankl

Kindly,

Neva.